Scarlet and the Blade of Light
by fadedXblack
Summary: Will the nations of Grey Hawk reunite? Or will it be the age where the Final War, becomes, the Final War of our Defeat?
1. Prologue

**Authors Note: Hi, my name is Sandra, the characters in this story, most are real people, the others are from my dad's imagination who has been a DM since he was 16. Demonia Isis, Wren, Ariadne Luna and Edlyn Redstorm (me) are all real people. And just to note, there will be elements from Dungeons and Dragons and the Grey Hawk world. But the storyline was created entirely from both my imagination and my dads (mainly my dads and his imagination is wild). This story is from one of my current Dungeons and Dragons games and I will be twisting it around a bit and adding some more characters to make it more interesting. I love recieveing reviews, feedback and even constructive critism. The story starts off as a prologue, simply a bard trying to explain to you. my readers the outline of the story. This story will be different, and I will post many times as much as my readers ask for. Any questions? Please just ask, and please, enjoy :) - Sandra**

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**Scarlet and the Blade of Light**

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**Chapter 1: Prologue  
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Torn, scattered and divided were all the good and bad nations on this land. Broken by war and betrayal and greed. There was a time, when orcs roamed the land murdering innocent bystanders in their path; aligned with goblins that invaded upon eleven territory now and then and kobolds who lived in their mines fighting with dwarves. Drows, who so rarely came up to the surface who were united with all evil, were the start of the slave trade bringing in hundreds upon thousands of humans per week. And there was more, oh much more that the average land dweller couldn't take in, it was that huge. Evil cascaded down upon this earth like water, drowning all that we love and cherish. Then, something happened that the threatening nations did not suspect. Four necklaces, no more, and no less were created; each belonged to the four great leaders of our time. A leader of the human race, eleven race, dwarven race, and another leader that is unspeakable of, I shall not utter his name, but perhaps, later in this tale you will hear. The four necklaces were nothing more than signs and proofs of their bonds as the four reunited under one large banner; a banner and symbolism of strength, dignity, honor and vengeance. Though their was talk of deep magic, no one knows for certain if these necklaces contained any magic at all, that remains to be seen. There was a final war, but the betrayal of one corrupted each leader. Under one banner, the people of Grey Hawk, were victorious...but not saved. Ten thousand years have passed now, the story of the 'Final War' is history, imprinted in all hearts even now, but the story of the four necklaces and betrayal was just a myth, long forgotten by most. The title, 'Final War' must soon be changed, if not, the people of Grey Hawk just might not make it. History must repeat itself and it must end in a lighter way. The nations of all evil are at work once more, though we have broken through many of their lines, they are again, slowly, but surely reuniting again for the true 'Final War'. And if the people of Grey Hawk stand back and do nothing, or refuse to reunite or believe such an assumption it will be, 'The Final War of our Defeat.' Though we may fail, we must try...but the leaders of our time now, are ignorant of what evil stirs around them. There is so much more, and in the end, we will find that our heroes in this age will not be of our current leaders, but four simple travelers who were seeking for adventure... come my friends, and let me tell you the tale of: Scarlet and the Blade of Light.


	2. Marlo

**Authors Note: Thank you for the reviews so far. Your feedback is deeply appreciated and constructive critism I will learn from and put to much use, thank you. The next chapter is the actual story now, so the last chapter wasn't really a chapter, but just a prolouge, whereas this chapter is the actual story, or in other words, the DD game that me and my friends, and my dad are constructing. As you read on, you will see that the adventurers you meet are going to be given thier first task. (Just thought I'd add, when we actually did RPG the whole quest, it was so scary that some almost puked and other's nearly wet their pants.) You may find it hard to understand how this first quest relates to the prolouge, it kind of doesn't really. It is just the first test so that the readers may understand the characters more and their strenghths. Please enjoy. And Thanks again. - Sandra**

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**Scarlet and the Blade of Light**

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**Chapter 2: Marlo**

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The town of Marlo was a passive town, it was a town filled with people of open minds. Marlo accepted anyone into their towns graciously, whether it be dwarves, humans, elves half-elves, halflings and so on. The only certain races of people that Marlo exiled were anything of a sinister heritage and outlaws. It was not exactly a simple looking town, though the people carried simple lives. They had their basic needs along with extra places such as the weaponry and so on and so forth. The people there were friendly and most were ignorant; unaware of most dangers. They were quite used to foreigners coming in and out, mostly simple bards traveling by to tell their stories for a coin or two.  
  
That night, it was the same as usual, the skies were perfectly clear; you could see every star in the black sky. It was a full moon and there was a small party held at the square. Young lovers snuck off to small gardens to hide from others and whisper to one another quietly. Men went to inns to drink and gamble while their wives minded their children. Single women listened to the bards and sighed dreamily at their poetical ways of speaking and their faerie tale stories. Others would just spend time with their families, and those without families stayed isolated enjoying themselves a light drink, or with their friends, such as Demonia Isis, Edlyn Redstorm and Ariadne Luna.  
  
The three were rather quiet that night, they had a fire going nicely, sitting around the campfire roasting sausages and whatnot. The gnome, Ariadne, had a pet monkey that screeched and crawled around her shoulders playfully now and then. She named her monkey after her past lover as a joke; his name was Dimble. Dimble was a small monkey; Demonia and Edlyn wondered why she ever kept the thing. It didn't help whatsoever, it just stood there and picked at her hair and screeched until the three of them were literally driven up the wall. If anything, Demonia and Edlyn would have picked something like a wolf, or even a wild dog, perhaps a raven, but a monkey? Oh, but Ariadne loved Dimble and some could see the obvious, it was simply annoying, but adorable too. Ariadne gave Dimble her sausage, sighed and stuck another one on her stick, she could never get any food in her mouth with Dimble around.  
  
Demonia smiled, particularly amused as she watched Dimble shovel the food in his mouth. Ariadne got up abruptly and started to stretch and yawn, Dimble jumped off her shoulders and angrily screeched at her. Her soft, short, light blonde hair glinting from the light of the fire, her eyes a crystal blue, soft with a deep love of nature. She was wrapped in clothing's of fur with a quarterstaff lying down on the ground next to her leather boots. She was very short, though she stood her ground, her fingers seemed to glow with light and her smile was soft and meant for everyone. A druid she was and a firm believer of the god of nature, Obad-hai.  
  
"You tired?" Demonia asked, her voice was powerful and strong.  
  
Ariadne looked down at her wide-eyed, "Of course not."  
  
Demonia just smiled yet again, she was a half-elf with pitch black hair that fell around her shoulders, her eyes were dark and if you looked hard enough you could see some general red hue. A fire burned in her eyes, a mysterious history lay behind the mask that even she knew so vaguely about. She never did know who her parents were, her real parents that is, her foster parents told her they were murdered by orcs. The only thing they ever left behind to her was a magnificent blade that she knew little about. It was a short sword, the hilt had a pommel gem that glowed a deep scarlet. Whenever she drew it out it would light a globe around her, giving her protection (plus 2). The blade itself would light up whenever it detected anything Lawful Evil. It cut through almost anything; the only thing she knew apart from its great worth was its value. Her foster parents told her to keep it out of sight at all times underneath her robes, others would love to get there hands on such a blade. The blade, of course, was called: Scarlet. She was an excellent fighter and went to a small military institute when she was young. It didn't cut for her so she went and taught herself, leaving her foster parents behind. She then met Edlyn Redstorm along with Ariadne, along with, of course, Dimble. The three of them have been friends for nearly twenty years, living in the town of Marlo. They always spoke of their dreams, training often, but never acting upon their dreams or making their training worth it.  
  
Edlyn's eyes than glittered with deep mischief, "Ever heard of that house up yonder?"  
  
Demonia looked at her cautiously; the two looked somewhat alike yet very different. Edlyn's black hair usually fell around her shoulders like dark magic. But always annoyed with it, she always put it up in a high ponytail. She was shorter than Demonia by a few inches, thinner and more nimble. Her eyes were dark with a navy blue rim; now and then in the light you could see shades of green. A jagged scar ran across her cheek, from when she tried to undo her first detected trap and failed, it nearly took of her head, but dexterously for a beginner-rogue, she was able to dodge it just close enough before it completely skewered her head off. So while Ariadne was the most wise and serene, and Demonia was charismatic and intimidating, Edlyn was the clever and mischievous, though sometimes she could be to bold for a rogue and at times it put her in trouble.  
  
"What house?" Demonia asked.  
  
Edlyn shrugged, "You know, the house that's no more than twelve miles from here...the one that's haunted."  
  
Ariadne barked a laugh, "You really believe that Edlyn? Or are you just trying to scare us again with your pathetic stories?" Demonia started to laugh with her.  
  
Edlyn looked at them both seriously, "I'm dead serious...you've never heard of _that_ house? Everyone talks about it here, those who come in, never come out, and those who do come out are never the same."  
  
Demonia shook her head in disbelief, grinning to herself, "Well if the people oh so talk about it here, and everyone knows, than why do the travelers keep trying to go in this, so-called haunted house?"

Edlyn paused, and threw her stick in the fire, she looked back up at the pair of them."Something terrible happened there...no one knows exactly what...but there is rumor that there are a few valuable items inside that house."  
  
Demonia and Ariadne exchanged looks, "That's it?" They both asked in unison, than they both started to laugh.  
  
Edlyn gave them a grim smile, "Fine, if you both are so confident, I dare all three of us to go there, and go inside and find these items."  
  
They both stopped laughing real quick, "You can't be serious?" Demonia asked.  
  
"Why not? We've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, I figure we should pack up and head out now, it's not all that far." Edlyn told them, she got up and started to roll up her sleeping bag. The other two could see she was dead serious about this. The lust for adventure started to course through all three of them.  
  
Within a few hours, they were packed up and ready to set foot for the first time.


	3. The NightWalkers

**Authors Note: Thank you for your constructive critism and feedback. For Poiniard, err, I tried to do as you suggested, though I didn't know quite what you meant, I hope this chapter is a little better. And for Tom Valor, thank you about the plus 2 thing lol. Yeah, I wish I could go back and edit this, I think there is a way. But I'm still figuring my way around,. Thank you both very much. I'm not such a good writer, but I am trying. :) **

**Well, I hope you all like it. - Sandra**

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**Scarlet and the Blade of Light**

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**Chapter 3: The Night-Walkers**

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Edlyn started to guide the other two on a path she knew that would lead them to their destination point. They started to walk the first mile silently and swiftly. Even Dimble was dead silent, perched on Ariadne's shoulders, not even making a move. Ariadne looked back at Marlo, the lights were faint and the music was starting to tune in and out as the three walked farther and farther away.  
  
"It's a warm night." Demonia stated softly.  
  
They were now on their second mile. Marlo was starting to become no more than a pinpoint of an object to their eyes. They were surrounded by looming trees with a blanket of stars and the full moon over their heads. Tonight was one of a kind, peaceful it was, something the people of Marlo took for granted. As the three went deeper in their trail they were also cut off from the sight of Marlo. There were too many trees in the way. Edlyn froze midway when nearing the third mile.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ariadne asked.  
  
"Didn't you see that?" Edlyn asked in a very low tone. Her dark eyes glittered with dangerous excitement. Which meant to the other two that whatever she was sensing wasn't good.  
  
"See what?" Demonia asked.  
  
"It was like someone just scampered dead silent across our trail...I saw it." Edlyn replied, scanning for whatever it was.  
  
"Probably just the trees." Demonia put in. Deep down, she was trying to reassure herself more than the others.  
  
Edlyn tore her eyes away from the scenery and rolled them at Demonia, "That's right Demonia, trees can walk."  
  
Ariadne laughed, Edlyn shook her head, the both of them were grinning to themselves. Edlyn then waved for them to follow her, to continue what they started.  
  
Demonia fingered the hilt of her blade underneath her cloak, not moving an inch, save for her thumb that ran along the solid hilt.  
  
"I don't like this Edlyn." Demonia said.  
  
Edlyn turned back around and shrugged, "I was just trying to scare you both again," she lied, being a rogue, neither could tell, "As usual." She put in with a grin that seemed to match her eyes.  
  
Demonia nodded, apparently convinced and ran up to the two so they could continue once more. Edlyn couldn't help but look around herself, after all, she did see something. She just didn't want to give up on their first adventure over a little suspicion. The three started to get more comfortable the further they went down their trail, they started to speak at normal tones, laughing and gossiping as if back at their hometown. Dimble returned to his usual self, screeching and crawling around Ariadne's shoulders. They were half way to their destination point. It was still warm, but something about the air seemed much more quiet and...baleful.  
  
None of them were a bit tired from there journey, six hours had passed and the excitement and lust for adventure was still running hot in there bloods. It was still dark out, but the stars seemed to have disappeared. They pressed on still, when the three of them were cut short by four figures that seemed to have blended with the shadows around them and float in front of them. They were deadly stealthy and obviously knew the forest better then anyone else alive. The blood in Ariadne's face drained completely. The four, considering there heights were obviously humanoid, and by their stature they were clearly men.  
  
The leader of the four gave a little laugh, "A nice night to be taking a walk, is it not?" His voice was deep and strong.  
  
"Quite lovely, yes." Edlyn answered, she never could control her tendency to rebel. She felt Demonia kick her in the leg, luckily, no one else noticed.  
  
The leader looked to Edlyn rather sharply, you could see his crystal blue eyes shinning bright from underneath his dark hood, he walked swiftly to her and stood in front of her, sizing her up, "And what is a she-elf doing out at night around this hour?"  
  
Edlyn smirked at him, "Taking a walk. And might I ask, what are you four boys doing out here? The same I presume?"  
  
The leader of the four glared at her, "I suggest you watch that attitude of yours...the three of you are crossing personal territory, if you wish to pass safely the price is no less than a 100 gold pieces, if not, you shall not pass us without a fight, otherwise turn back."  
  
Edlyn's boldness got the better of her once again, the ache in her leg was no longer there to remind her to keep her mouth shut, she gave a sarcastic smile and looked around herself and back at the leader of the four, "Personal territory? Do you boys live here? It's very nice."  
  
Just then, before the leader of the four completely lost his temper, Ariadne quickly pulled out of her purse a bag that jingled with the sound of coins. She handed it to the leader of the four, he took it from her, grinning from ear to ear and looked inside to make sure it was what he was expecting. He laughed, tied the bag back up and hid it underneath his cloak. Edlyn was speechless, her eyes were hot with embarrassment and anger. Demonia's mouth also fell open, Ariadne was breathing rather hard. No one could tell if she was ready to explode or break down and cry.  
  
The man just laughed at her, "You made a wise choice my friend. Yes, a very wise choice." And with that, the four of them disappeared as quickly as they came.  
  
Demonia was the first to speak, or rather...yell, "That was all you had!"  
  
Ariadne shrugged, clutching her quarterstaff rather tightly to restrain her self from losing her temper completely, "It was money or our lives. I want to do this adventure so badly."  
  
Edlyn was infuriated, "Oh come on, we could have took them, they were just a bunch of pushovers!"  
  
Ariadne laughed, "Did you even knew who they were?"  
  
"Who?" Dmeonia and Edlyn asked in unison.  
  
"The Night-Walkers."  
  
Edlyn snorted, still peeved at the man who pushed her around, still humiliated that he got what he wanted, "Sounds intimidating but seriously, we might run into them again and then they'll try to bribe us for more money," she paused and gritted her teeth, "I am not handing even a bronze coin to that arrogant idiot, my life on the line or not."  
  
Ariadne shrugged. "Have it your way then. They'll just take your life and everything on you."  
  
"I heard of them..." Demonia started slowly, "Marlo banded them, they're just a bunch of outlaws and thieves, joined together and formed a clan, naming themselves the Night-Walkers. They know the forest better than anyone. I heard that they are good at fighting up close and personal, but sneak attacks and clever thinking are their specialties...but that's just what I heard."  
  
Edlyn shook her head furiously, "Let's go."  
  
The three of them pushed on once more, only this time their hearts were filled with dread and anger.


	4. Rescue of the Wolves

**Author's Note: Thank you Tom Valor. Night Stalkers, uuu, never thought of that. Hmmm, but yes, the Night Walkers have some signifigant importance, you see. After this chapter...I AM SO DYING TO WRITE THE NEXT ONE!!!!! lol. Hope you all enjoy it :) - Sandra **

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**Scarlet and the Blade of Light**

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**Chapter 4: Rescue of the Wolves**

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Though they grew tired, the party never ceased, they pressed on for another 3 hours, another 5 miles. Their destination point was just one more mile up ahead. They were at the end of the forest now. They could see no signs of the haunted house, all they saw was land and green rolling hills. It was now morning, the sun was shining bright and there was no signs of dangers, no threats that entered the minds of the three.   
  
"Were very close." Edlyn whispered.  
  
By now, the three of them were weary from all their walking. They decided to rest their at the edge of the forest, lying against trees and shutting their eyes. All of them were too tired to keep watch. Edlyn chose a secluded area just a couple of feet away to meditate for four hours. When she focused back on the world, she saw that her friends were still gathering the extra sleep they needed. She ate a bit, and kept watch for them for the next four hours. By the time the other two woke and ate enough to satisfy, it was between noon and evening. They didn't even bother to have a campfire or sleeping bags out, all they had to do was throw on their backpacks and get up again.  
  
"Alright, you ready?" Edlyn asked as she got up.  
  
"Just you wait one moment!" Ariadne busted out, she stood up so fast that Dimble became very startled and started to screech at Edlyn for causing his master to stand up so abruptly.  
  
"Ah, shut up, you stupid monkey." Edlyn said indignantly.  
  
"Dimble isn't a stupid monkey. You're the one that's stupid. By the time we get to…that house…it'll be dark! Are you out of your mind?!" Ariadne cried as she tapped her quarterstaff lightly on Edlyn's head. She could have easily dodged it, but she liked this better.  
  
Edlyn's eyes glittered with mischief and cunning, a teasing grin danced on her lips, "What's the matter Ariadne, scared of what? Ghosts?"  
  
"Shouldn't I be?" she asked in a low tone.  
  
"Well, you don't believe me, so no…why, you finally taking me seriously? Besides, my dear friend, it could be as bright as day when we get there, but once were inside, it'll be darker than black, if that's possible. Anyway, were only 30 minutes away, so you are wrong, when we get there, it will still be light out."   
  
"She's right," Demonia said, "Let's go."  
  
As soon as the three of them moved forward they saw something up ahead. A line of tiny humanoids walking towards them. Only…they couldn't be human. The three started to get a little anxious, for they could not make out what was up ahead, they were to far, but they were getting closer and closer. And by the looks of things, they spotted them right back. Though they were still like little pinpoints to their eyes, you could hear them more than see them. They heard ruckus angry language that sounded basically like a bunch of angry dogs barking and growling at one another. It was definitely not human. Demonia drew her blade out, the magninficent metal glinting bright under the sunlight, the pommel gem glowing so lovely, the hilt was gripped tight in her grasp. Edlyn set an arrow ready in her short bow, promising her rapier she would use it soon. Ariadne just stood there, waiting.   
  
Finally, the line was close enough to make out. There were exactly seven kobolds. All lined up with each other, carrying simple spears. They were now a good several feet away. As soon as Edlyn let her arrow fly, Ariadne knelt on the ground on one leg as Dimble started to do a little dance around her in a circle. The arrow flew sky high and pierced one of the kobolds in the shoulder, doing good damage, but not killing it. The kobolds grew angry and started to charge. Demonia was set and ready, Ariadne started to chant, Edlyn lit off another arrow and killed one kobold. The arrow hit it's neck, it choked, stunned, sputtered blood and fell to the ground. They were so close to them now, so ready to fight up close and personal, Edlyn pulled out her rapier, but there was no need. A loud howl fell into the air, out of no where, a swarm of seven wolves total came running out from the forest. There eyes vicious and there fur shining so lovely, they could only be described as violent beauties as they rushed out faster than light it seemed out in front of the three to protect them from the kobolds. Some immediately got injured by the piercing spears of the kobolds, but they recklessly fought on, gnawing at their heads and destroying all kobolds completely within a matter of five minutes. First saved by a bag of coins, now a pack of vicious wolves. Ariadne smiled, feeling satisfied as the other two watched in absolute amazement. After the mini battle was over and all the kobolds laid piled on top of each other staining the grass with their filthy blood. The leader of the wolf pack was bleeding slightly from the shoulder, oddly she still seemed quite noble even as she limped towards Ariadne, the leader of the wolf pack bowed down on it's knees, Ariadne bowed back in appreciation. They seemed to communicate with one other through the eyes. _Thank you, for protecting my friends_. Ariadne said in a way that only the wolf could understand. _Always proud to serve any true druid who passes my threshold_. The wolf talked back, and with that it met up with the rest of it's pack and disappeared deep into the heart of the forest where they lived.  
  
Edlyn and Demonia were still awestruck at what happened, when finally Edlyn's swift eyes darted and saw that there were a couple of kobolds to the west of where Edlyn and the other two were standing.  
  
"LOOK!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.  
  
The kobolds, obviously were spies that roamed through open lands, startled by Edlyn's outburst and scared of meeting death like their friends did. The two kobolds barked and started to scamper away. Edlyn shot off an arrow as quick as she could, but they were to fast for her and the arrow missed completely. The two kobolds shot a last fearsome look and disappeared into the forest.   
  
Demonia rested a hand on Edlyn's shoulder, "Let it go, were almost there."  
  
Edlyn nodded and put her weapons away. The three of them started once more, ready to face a moment of their lives, knowing little it would be something they would never forget.


	5. The Girl in the Window

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**Scarlet and the Blade of Light**

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**Chapter 5: The Girl in the Window**

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Traveling further north of them they stopped. The path still continued north to their destination point but there was another road connected to it that lead off to their right, to who knows where? They looked in between for something caught their eyes, a sign stood smack dead in the right angle of the road that led north and the road that led to their right The sign consisted of two arrows pointing in each direction. The arrow that pointed to the north read 'Saint Autumns house'. The name was difficult to read, the wood was old and rotted. The other arrow, unfortunately, the letterings could not be made out at all! But no, this was not what caught the three travelers' eyes. They looked at this particular sign, for there was a raven perched nobly on the 'Saint Autumns house' sign. The three could sense immediately that this was no ordinary bird, it's eyes were so dark almost as if they were hollow, yet so piercing and intense they were too. The black bird was unwavering, it was dead silent on the sign of the Autumns. Demonia and Edlyn exchanged dark looks as Ariadne stepped up to the raven, it didn't even flinch. Most odd, for a bird.   
  
_'Why hello there, me and my friends are fellow travelers who seek the old house of haunts, have we come to the right place?'_ Ariadne communicated.  
  
_'The road north can only lead to death and insanity, go back, or take the road to your right, anywhere but further north._ The raven communicated back. Edlyn and Demonia waited tentatively, wondering what was being said.   
  
_'Saint Autumn, what happened to him?'_ Ariadne asked.  
  
_'Only death and insanity! I shall say no more. You have my warnings!!'_ And with that, it was as if the black bird came back to life, as it spread it's feathery wings and took off into the sky.  
  
The three looked at one another yet again, exchanging secret looks.   
  
Demonia took a deep breath, "Let's do it."  
  
The three of them nodded at one another, and silently stepped forward on to the road that the black raven forbid them to trespass on. As they walked down in a single file line, with Demonia at the front, Edlyn in the back and Ariadne and Dimble in the middle, Demonia noticed that on each side of the road was just a bunch of wheat fields, still a golden brown color, but limping over, the lot of it untamed, in the middle of the fields stood a scarecrow, old, the rags torn and the cloth covered with mold. They continued, the three noticed that the further they went down this road, the more the air seemed to grow dreadfully cold. Edlyn gasped rather loudly in astonishment as they turned the corner, there it was. The house, which everyone feared. They stood there in awe at the end of the winding dirt road. The house was clearly a two story, it was entirely made out of wood, it was old and beaten down. The front of the house, with the stairs leading up to the front door was oddly crooked with one of the wood pieces that supported the balcony, slightly bent. It was obvious that the house was rickety and that it was vacated…or was it? The skies were gray, the clouds seemed…as if polluted in a sense, and blocking the light of the Sun. There was a dreadful air about this place that none of our travelers were comfortable with. There was also a smaller building next to the house. On top of the small building was a large brass bell. Obviously the man of the house that use to live here, Saint Autumn, was a priest. The area was surrounded by dead grass, and there was also a stone well in front of the house. As soon as the three cautiously made another step, off the dirt road and an inch closer to the house, Edlyn froze. Her heart raced yet the blood in her body turned icy cold, her eyes looked up and she gave a slight gasp. The other two, filled with their own worries, didn't realize that she stopped walking.   
  
Edlyn turned her head up and saw a girl looking back at her from one of the windows on the second floor. The window was cracked slightly and covered with dust as she remembered she saw it, but this time it was fresh, as if the window was brand new, the girl was obviously around the age of 5…but there was a look in her eyes, almost…sinister. Her mouth curved in an evil, cunning smile. She looked straight at Edlyn, gave her a somewhat of a friendly look that was also scary. She was transparent, whatever Edlyn was looking at…she knew wasn't solid. Then the girl waved at her, she waved and mouthed the words, _Come and find me._ But before Edlyn could wave back or react at all, the girl disappeared in a flash, and all Edlyn could see, was the window back to the state she once saw it; cracked and dusty with curtains blocking anything to see inside…not that they would have been able to anyway, it was on the second floor after all. It took awhile for Edlyn to realize what she saw, her heart fluttered and her body raced with panic. She told her two friends what she her eyes witnessed, and they both took her seriously for once, seeing the true frightened desperation in her eyes. Edlyn regained her courage, trying hard not to falter, and they again cautiously stepped towards the house…slowly…so slowly.  
  
It seemed to have taken them centuries…forever…to reach the staircase of the Saint Autumns house. Demonia looked to the other too, being the very bravest out of all of them, she stepped up the stairs first as her two friends watched. Demonia paused at the door, her hand reached up to turn the knob, but before even touching it her hand flinched, losing her nerve completely. She took a deep breath and decided to look through one of the windows first before doing anything else. Just to be safe…not that they were doing anything safe, what they were doing was absolutely insane. Demonia was slightly shook to just take a peek through the window…in fear of seeing the girl's face randomly popping up to scare her, or something worse.   
  
"You don't have to do this Demonia…if you want, we can just turn back." Ariadne said.  
  
Demonia shook her head and shushed her friend, she pressed closer to the window and looked through, there was nothing particularly interesting to see. It was just a regular dining room…old, definitely old. She could see that most of the furniture in the house was made out of wood and there was a lot of dust everywhere, she wondered how she was even capable of looking through the battered window, the more she looked to investigate, she realized the more the window grew black. She thought that it might have just been her, her head growing queasy from all this pressure, she hope she wouldn't black out. She stepped back to sit for a bit just to be careful with herself, but she realized that it wasn't her head…it wasn't the window either. She looked in surprise and heard Edlyn muttering under her breath in curses, as the three of them saw thousands of little flies trying to cover up the window. As if warding away any prying eyes…and trying to save Demonia…from seeing any further. Demonia stepped back and held onto the wooden banister behind her from falling in fear. This was disgusting.   
  
Edlyn and Ariadne stepped up the staircase finally, Demonia found some courage and inspiration as her two best friends stepped up those stairs. So with a rebellion and a brave heart she never knew she had…she opened that door.


	6. Lovely Flowers

**Scarlet and the Blade of Light  
  
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**Chapter 6: Lovely flowers  
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As soon as Demonia opened the door, a rush of cold wind blew out from inside, chilling the three of them down to the bone. It was the coldest they ever felt in their lives. The three…tentatively stepped inside. Looking around carefully for any predatory dangers, seeing nothing but this one room that only had a table and several broken chairs, they stepped in slowly one by one, first Demonia, then Edlyn, then Ariadne with the now…for the first time, very silent Dimble that tightened it's arms around Ariadne in fear. When the three were inside, very well on their guard, the wind stop blowing outwards towards them, causing the door to slam shut, for the wind…stopped very abruptly. Then…there was a sound in the distance, obviously coming from outside, it was the bell, it rang…and rang…the ringing throbbed in their heads till suddenly, there was no sound at all. And Demonia also realized…there was not a single fly in this room. Where did they go?   
  
Edlyn looked around, searching every nook and cranny around this…somewhat bare room. She looked at one of the broken chairs, she didn't know why, but she bent down and touched the leg of it that was ripped off. For some reason…she had a flash of a room, with a rocking chair and a bunk bed. She shook the thought out of her head and decided to be more careful about the things she touched. She decided not to tell her friends about it, as they were psyched out enough. The only thing that was significant and frightening to them now was the door that lead to who knows where…Demonia stepped forward slowly, followed by Edlyn then Ariadne like before. Demonia slowly opened the door, the three not saying a word. Demonia walked down slowly like the others. They were walking down a somewhat narrow hallway, they took their time walking down this hallway, for it had some pictures aligned on the wall. There was nothing frightening about these pictures…in fact, they looked rather heartwarming. One of the pictures had a picture of the entire family of the Saint Autumns. The three surveyed it for a moment. The father who was obviously Saint Autumn had a warm smile, and was holding his wife lovingly. His children were all smiling as well, he had 3 boys, and 2 girls. One of the girls was one that Edlyn recognized; it was the girl that stared at her from the window not so long ago. Her face was thin and pale, with pitch black hair that fell elegantly around her shoulders, she was shyly peeking her head out from behind her mother, her fingers clutched on her dress. Her eyes dazzled with lights and her lips curved into a half grin. The other girl was being held by one of her brother's, who seemed to have held her in a strong protective embrace. Even if they appeared to be of the same height and age. The oldest son was almost as tall as his father, and his face was dark and his eyes beamed with intelligence and happiness. He looked more serious then anyone else of the family, but if you looked long enough, a small smile seemed to appear on his face. The last boy, the youngest of all of the Autumn's family, looked around the age of 3. He could only be described as adorable. His eyes were a deep blue and his cheeks were slightly chubby and very rosy. His smile was wide and meant for everyone it seemed, his arm wrapped around his father's leg. His father, with his one hand holding his wife, also had his other hand on top of his youngest son's head. The picture of this family was beautiful, and how this house ever became haunted by this family…still remained a mystery.   
  
When they reached the end of the short hallway, there was a couple ways they could have turned, one was to the right, that seemed to lead to another room. There was another door to their left. They decided to save the door for later, and just turn to their right, they walked slowly and tentatively and found themselves in the Autumn's kitchen. It was a very large kitchen, with many cabinets, it smelled of earth, for there was a table in the middle. They could see some signs of dried blood, and growing from all of it together was just mounds of mold and fungi. A couple flies hovered over the fungus as the three of them looked at it in mild disgust. Edlyn walked inside and started to search the cabinets, the other two started to do the same. They searched everything, even the ovens. No one found anything, save for Demonia.  
  
"You guy's…I found something. Come here." She beckoned.  
  
"'Bout time." Edlyn muttered under her breath.  
  
Demonia unfolded the scroll as the other two looked over her shoulder, it was a letter in untidy handwriting that read,   
  
_Hi Mommy!  
  
I bet you can't find me! Come and find me Mommy! Bet you can't find me! I love you!  
  
Molly _  
  
Edlyn breathed sharply, "That's her."  
  
"Who?" Demonia asked.  
  
"The girl…the girl in the window, that's Molly." Edlyn said quickly.  
  
"How do you know that?" Demonia asked as she rolled back the letter and put it back in it's original spot.   
  
"Because, when I saw her, it was like she was trying to say something to me, she mouthed the words, 'Come and find me'…so that had to be her." Edlyn put in.  
  
The other two were convinced and nodded slowly. So far everything was okay, and they were actually starting to feel a little better. They saw nothing else of importance in that kitchen, except another door, a screen door that clearly lead to their backyard. The three decided to search there first before heading back to the other door on the left, once they were in the backyard, they could see that they were clearly on the right side of the Autumn's house, so it would be strange to call it a backyard. It was more like a tiny garden. But the most significant thing about this particular garden was that it was a graveyard. 7 headstones, all aligned next to one another. All 7 of the headstones had no name on them, saying when that person died…or even who. All 7 of the headstones were uncovered, as if someone meant to bury someone, but never put the body in nor covered it back up for that matter. Ariadne started to get the funny feeling that maybe that all seven were buried once, but just risen out. The one headstone all the way to the right however had flowers on the top of the headstone. They were fresh flowers and were identical to the ones surrounding them in the garden. Obviously, someone had recently put them there. But who?   
  
_I told you not to come here._ Ariadne heard a familiar voice in her head. She turned as the other two turned as well to see what she was looking at. It was the raven, perched on one of the headstones.   
  
_Is there anything you can tell me about this house…what happened?_ Ariadne communicated back, ignoring it's warning.  
  
_Something terrible happened here…I do not wish to talk about it. Leave now._ The raven took off without a response from Ariadne. She told the other two what they talked about. Demonia nodded, but Edlyn wasn't even listening, her head was turned and her eyes grew wide as she looked up, yet again at another window. The last window she looked at was obviously connected to this one. Meaning the room with the girl had not one, but two windows. The other two looked up, and this time all three of them were able to see that Edlyn was speaking the truth. The girl, the same as the one before was looking down at them from the window. This time she was not smiling, nor waving at them in a friendly manner. This time her eyes were locked with permanent fear and her tiny body seemed to whiplash itself against the window. Her tiny hands banging against the window…but there was no sound. Blood trickled down her face and she looked as if she was screaming, consumed with fear she finally seemed to see the three travelers down below, she looked directly at Edlyn, probably recognizing her from their first encounter. She started to beat her fists against the windows more rapidly, mouthing the words, _Help me! Help me!_. The girl disappeared and the three started to get nauseated feelings. Edlyn looked back at the fresh flowers...knowing who must have put them there.


End file.
